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"time; for well-being fuppofes a being; and the first "impediment which men naturally endeavour to re"move, is the want of thofe things without which "they cannot fubfift. God first aligned unto Adam "maintenance of life, and gave him a title to the rest "of the creatures before he appointed a law to ob" ferve."

"God firft affigned Adam," fays Hooker, "main"tenance of life, and then appointed him a law to “obferve.—True it is, that the kingdom of God muft "be the first thing in our purpose and defires; but "inasmuch as a righteous life prefuppofeth life, in"afinuch as to live virtuously it is impoffible, except "we live; therefore the firft impediment which naturally we endeavour to remove is penury, and "want of things without which we cannot live."

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The fpeech is vehement; but the great pofition, that grievances ought to be redreffed before fupplies are granted, is agreeable enough to law and reafon : nor was Waller, if his biographer may be credited, fuch an enemy to the King, as not to wifh his dif treffes lightened; for he relates, "that the King fent

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particularly to Waller, to fecond his demand of "fome fubfidies to pay off the army; and Sir Henry "Vane objecting against first voting a supply, because "the King would not accept unless it came up to his "proportion, Mr. Waller fpoke earnestly to Sir Thomas Jermyn, comptroller of the household, to fave his "mafter from the effects of fo bold a falfity; for, he

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faid, I am but a country gentleman, and cannot "pretend to know the King's mind:' but Sir Thomas "durft not contradict the fecretary; and his fon, the Earl of St. Albans, afterwards told Mr. Waller, that "his father's cowardice ruined the King."

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In the Long Barliament, which, unhappily for the nation, met Nov, 1640, Waller reprefented Agmondesham the third time; and was confidered by the discontented party as a man fufficiently trufty and acrimonious to be employed in managing the profecution of Judge Crawley, for his opinion in favour of ship-money; and his fpeech fhews that he did not difappoint their expectations. He was probably the more ardent, as his uncle Hampden had been particularly engaged in the difpute, and by a fentence which feems generally to be thought unconstitutional, particularly injured.

He was not however a bigot to his party, nor adopted all their opinions. When the great question, whether Epifcopacy ought to be abolished, was debated, he spoke against the innovation fo coolly, fo reasonably, and so firmly, that it is not without great injury to his name that his fpeech, which was as follows, has been hitherto omitted in his works :

"There is no doubt but the fenfe of what this na"tion hath fuffered from the prefent Bishops, hath "produced these complaints; and the apprehensions "men have of fuffering the like, in time to come, "make so many defire the taking away of Epifcopacy "but I conceive it is poffible that we may not, now, "take a right measure of the minds of the people by "their petitions; for, when they fubfcribed them, "the Bishops were armed with a dangerous commiffion "of making new canons, impofing new oaths, and "the like; but now we have difarmed them of that

power. These petitioners lately did look upon

*This fpeech has been retrieved, from a paper printed at that time, by the writers of the Parliamentary History. O ig. Edit.

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Epifcopacy as a beast armed with horns and claws; "but now that we have cut and pared them, (and may, "if we fee caufe, yet reduce it into narrower bounds) "it may, perhaps, be more agreeable. Howfoever, "if they be ftill in paffion, it becomes us foberly to "confier the right ufe and antiquity thereof; and not "to comply further with a general defire, than may "ftand with a general good.

"We have already fhewed, that epifcopacy and "the evils thereof are mingled like water and oil; "we have alfo, in part, fevered them; but I believe you will find, that our laws and the prefent govern"ment of the church are mingled like wine and water;

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fo infeparable, that the abrogation of, at leaft, a "hundred of our laws is defired in these petitions. I "have often heard a noble anfwer of the Lords, com"mended in this houfe, to a propofition of like na"ture, but of lefs confequence; they gave no other "reafon of their refufal but this, Nolumus mutare Leges "Anglie it was the bifhops who fo anfwered then;

and it would become the dignity and wisdom of this "houfe to answer the people, now, with a Nolumus

❝ mutare.

"I fee fome are moved with a number of hands "against the Bishops; which, I confefs, rather in"clines me to their defence; for I look upon epifço

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pacy as a counterfcarp, or out-work; which, if it "be taken by this affault of the people, and, withall,

this mystery once revealed, That we must deny them "nothing when they afk it thus in troops, we may, in "the next place, have as hard a tafk to defend our property, as we have lately had to recover it from "the Prerogative. If, by multiplying hands and petitions, they prevail for an equality in things eccle

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"fiaftical,

"fiaftical, the next demand perhaps may be Lex "Agraria, the like equality in things temporal.

"The Roman story tells us, That when the people "began to flock about the fenate, and were more "curious to direct and know what was done, than to obey, that Common-wealth foon came to ruin & their ' Legem rogare grew quickly to be a Legem ferre ; "and after, when their legions had found that they "could make a Dictator, they never fuffered the se66 nate to have a voice any more in fuch election.

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"If these great innovations proceed, I fhall expect "a flat and level in learning too, as well as in church"preferments: Honos alit Artes. And though it be true, that grave and pious men do ftudy for learn“ing-sake, and embrace virtue for itself; yet it is "true, that youth, which is the season when learning "is gotten, is not without ambition; nor will ever "take pains to excel in any thing, when there is not "foine hope of excelling others in reward and dignity. "There are two reafons chiefly alleged against our "church-government.

"First, Scripture, which, as fome men think, "points out another form.

"Second, The abufes of the present fuperiors.

"For Scripture, I will not difpute it in this place; "but I am confident that, whenever an equal divifion "of lands and goods fhall be defired, there will be as

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many places in Scripture found out, which feem to fa"vour that, as there are now alleged against the prelacy "or preferment in the church. And, as for abuses, "where you are now, in the Remonftrance told, what this "and that poor man hath fuffered by the bishops, you 66 may be prefented with a thousand inftances of poor

66 men that have received hard measure from their "landlords; and of worldly goods abufed, to the injury of others, and difadvantage of the owners.

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"And therefore, Mr. Speaker, my humble motion "is, That we may fettle men's minds herein; and, by "a queftion, declare our refolution, to reform, that is, "not to abolish, Epifcopacy."

It cannot but be wished that he, who could fpeak in this manner, had been able to act with spirit and uniformity.

When the Commons began to fet the royal authority at open defiance, Waller is faid to have withdrawn from the houfe, and to have returned with the king's permiffion; and, when the king fet up his ftandard, he sent him a thousand broad-pieces. He continued, however, to fit in the rebellious conventicle; but "fpoke," fays Clarendon, "with great fharpness and freedom, which, now there was no

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danger of being outvoted, was not reftrained; and "therefore used as an argument against thofe who "were gone upon pretence that they were not fuffered "to deliver their opinion freely in the houfe, which "could not be believed, when all men knew what li"berty Mr. Waller took, and spoke every day with impunity against the fenfe and proceedings of the "houfe."

Waller, as he continued to fit, was one of the commiffioners nominated by the parliament to treat with the king at Oxford; and when they were prefented, the King faid to him, " Though you are the laft, you "are not the lowest nor the leaft in my favour." Whitlock, who, being another of the commiffioners, was witnefs of this kindnefs, imputes it to the king's

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